# What professions are dead or dying? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038 "2010-12-13T21:51:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/81 "2010-12-15T04:14:11Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > Ah. Ignorance fought. Your job is done here; you are dismissed. šŸ˜‰ :smack: I thought it said Taxi _driver_. Oops. Yeah, maybe that jobā€™s on the way outā€¦ šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/82 "2010-12-15T04:30:08Z")
I spent two years in electronics school and got an Associate Degree. Then got a job with a tv shop servicing tvā€™s and stereos. Within a few years it was obvious the service business was dying. Everyone felt it wasnā€™t worth repairing them anymore. They could buy new at Walmart. Also, the independent tv shops couldnā€™t compete with Walmart. Or wholesale cost was more than what they charged retail. That ended my dream of owning a Zenith tv dealership. Back to college and trained in computer programming. Made a good living for 20 years. Now, that is out largely sourced to India. Built & sold custom PCā€™s as a hobby/business in the mid 1990ā€™s. Fuc\*ing Walmart made that impossible by 2002. Bastards sell pcā€™s for $499. :mad: Twice in my life Walmart has screwed me. I still have a job in Tech Support and Networking. I write SQL reports. My career is ok for another 20 years until I turn 65. I would not encourage a 17 year old to get into Electronics or computer programming. Youā€™ll be on your ass begging for a job by the time you are 45. Those careers wonā€™t exist by 2040. In house Programmers that write real code will be very rare by then. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/83 "2010-12-15T05:02:06Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Travel agencies for vacationers are going the way of the dodo. Depends on the type of agent. Iā€™m an analyst with 23 years in the leisure travel industry and yes, the AAA person who would book you a night at the Ramada is on the way out. On the other hand, take the example of rich old folks like my parentsā€¦ they wanted to do a reunion trip to Costa Rica. They made one call, and wrote one check. We had 10 people flying out of three different citiesā€¦ meeting up in Costa Rica with the guy with the sign to get us to our hotel (we never touched our bags). Had a guy who was a research scientist as our guide to tell us about the flora and fauna. Bags picked up from our rooms, buses, tours, boat rides, getting to see sea turtles laying eggs, meals, horseback rides, rafting, etc., etc., etc. and I never had to touch my wallet. This industry is thriving despite the economy. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/84 "2010-12-15T05:02:09Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Ugh. I wish there werenā€™t any left. The refueler at our airport uses them. > > ā€œHello please leave a message.ā€ > ā€œUm, are you a recording or a real person?ā€ > ā€œ[chuckle] Iā€™m real.ā€ > ā€œOk, Iā€™d like to order Jet A1 for Zulu Zulu November, full aft cabin tanks, and mains and auxes to the bugs.ā€ > ā€œZulu what?ā€ > ā€œZulu Zulu November, ZZN.ā€ > ā€œIs that an aircraft?ā€ > ā€œYes.ā€ > ā€œFull aft cabin tanks and mains and auxes to theā€¦ bugs [dubious]?ā€ > ā€œYes, the bugs.ā€ > > Thatā€™s a condensed version because I canā€™t be bothered writing out the entirety of a typical conversation with them. At least they read it back so you know they got it right, but itā€™s a painful process. ? Bugs? I was a refueler for both the Air Force and an international airport for around 8 years. (to be fair that was back in the 80s :D), but Iā€™ve never heard that term, whatā€™s it mean? ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/85 "2010-12-15T05:25:26Z")
Visual Effects model builders. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/86 "2010-12-15T06:26:12Z")
> [@TheFifthYear](#): > > Quote: > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by Sampiro > > Iā€™ll bet very few people under 30 have never had their gas pumped by an attendant. > > > > Good to know. Do you usually hire somebody freelance or does your firm employ one? > > Always from outside the firm. Thatā€™s a rather extravagant perk. Where do you work? ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/87 "2010-12-15T06:36:49Z")
> [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](#): > > Medical Transcription, probably legal too. Typists of all kinds, now that itā€™s no longer a specialized skill. I was thinking that today while waiting to see one of my doctors. He was using voice-recognition software to dictate his case notes and I thought ā€œDang, Iā€™m glad Iā€™m not doing transcription for a living.ā€ Same thing for typing; almost all of the engineering and technical staff I work with do their own typing save for when they get overloaded and need help. Another profession thatā€™s dying out are folks who make carts, carriages and the like for horses to pull. There used to be 3 or 4 companies that made carts for driving horses, from really small horses up to ones big enough to be used with a draft horse, now thereā€™s only one or two, and I think oneā€™s in bankruptcy now. A well-made pleasure driving cart is an art form in and of itself. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/88 "2010-12-15T07:04:05Z")
I havenā€™t seen any lamplighters lately. Lighthouse keepers are virtually gone. Those guys who used to operate boom gates at railway crossingsā€¦ Stokers. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/89 "2010-12-15T09:39:18Z")
Whale oil procurement agent/salesman. Guillotine specialist. Wooden peg leg sculptor. Witch dunking chair craftsman. Morse code technician. I tried them all but for some reason, simply couldnā€™t make a buck. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/90 "2010-12-15T14:19:39Z")
Beeper manufacturers. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/91 "2010-12-15T14:22:58Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Beeper manufacturers. Werenā€™t most of them made by people like Motorola, who now make mobile phones as well as radios anyway? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/92 "2010-12-15T15:19:31Z")
> [@](#): > > Whale oil procurement agent/salesman. Only in the US and some other countries. You can still buy whale oil on the world market. > [@](#): > > Gas Station Attendant (except in Oregon) > [@](#): > > Iā€™ll bet very few people under 30 have never had their gas pumped by an attendant. Not just Oregon. You canā€™t pump your own gas in New Jersey, either. And there are some Massachusetts towns that mandate that station attendants pump the gas. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/93 "2010-12-15T15:28:37Z")
From the looks of things, it appears that proofreaders are a dying breed. Right after typesetters. And regarding the lack of travel agents: I guess people in Austria will always have to explain to tourists that they are thousands of miles from the Outback. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/94 "2010-12-15T16:04:50Z")
Open outcry floor traders. Except for index options and a few agriculture pits, most trading is now done electronically. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/95 "2010-12-15T16:21:15Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > Also shoe repair, watch repair, and pretty much any small appliance repair (TV, stereo, etc.). These things are all disposable now; itā€™s more cost effective 90% of the time to just toss them and buy a replacement. Not true for quality watches and shoes. And even for low-end watches they make a good buck just replacing the batteries. Taxi-dancers are now lap-dancers. ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/96 "2010-12-15T16:50:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Not true for quality watches and shoes. And even for low-end watches they make a good buck just replacing the batteries. Indeed, I read a couple years back that Rolex will pay for you to go to Horological school, because thereā€™s a shortage of people trained to repair high-end mechanical watches. Thought about taking them up on it, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/97 "2010-12-15T16:57:50Z")
> [@Lightlystarched](#): > > Reference librarians. Hell, all librarians. Iā€™ve heard that one before from people who are clueless about what goes on in libraries. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/98 "2010-12-15T18:56:14Z")
> [@The\_Surb](#): > > Yes, we have a delivery service here in Colorado. > > We also have a shoe repair place here too. They did a helluva job on a boot that my dog used as a chew toy. We have Quality Shoesā€“ā€œHome of the Bootmobileā€ā€“that does a large business repairing footwear and other leather items of all kinds. They also duplicate keys and stock a large inventory of boots ā€“ plus a few hatsā€“for sale. Iā€™m not worried about the possibility they might go out of business; they evidently succeed by finding related niches they can fill. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/99 "2010-12-15T19:00:38Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > I once helped teach a group of railroad fireman (coal shovelers in engines) who were being retrained. (The deal the railroad had made with the union to allow them to eliminate fireman jobs required the railroad to keep all current firemen employed ā€“ either retrain them or pay them to do nothing.) > > So the railroad was retraining them to be mainframe computer programmers. I thought locomotives just about everywhere were either electrified or diesel-fired. Where did they still have coal-fired engines recently enough for anyone reading this message board to have done this kind of retraining? ---
**Author:** ![BlakeTyner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@BlakeTyner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlakeTyner)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/100 "2010-12-15T19:49:42Z")
Well, coal-fired steam engines were in service, in most cases, into the '60s in the United States. Even when the steam engines themselves had been retired and scrapped, there were plenty of firemen on the boards that had decades of career in front of them, and the unions negotiated to keep them around. Even today, the left side of a train is the ā€œfiremanā€™s side.ā€ Up until the 80ā€™s, a freight train crew would have been 5 peopleā€“engineer, fireman, head brakeman (in the locomotive,) conductor and rear brakeman (in the caboose.) End-of-train devices did away with the caboose, so in some cases all 5 crew members were moved to the head end (there were even some ā€˜hammerheadā€™ diesel locomotives built with extra large cabs because of this) before the railroads finally started paring the crews down to 2ā€“engineer and conductor. The companies want crews of 1 nowā€“well, what they want is a crew of 0 and automated control, but that becomes too expensive and space-agey to be realistic anytime in the near future. Anyway, lots of firemen went on to be requalified as engineers or conductors, and eventually the folks who didnā€™t retired. Railroading is a funny industry in many ways. They have their own retirement fund, much like teachers, and on the labor side, itā€™s essentially all Union. Amtrak, for example, has different agreements with different Unions, which is why a coach attendant, for example, canā€™t fill in for a waiter in the dining carā€“different trades (even though it would be a simple matter to actually do it.) Thatā€™s not meant to be a bash on Unions, incidentallyā€“just an explanation of why things are the way they are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038.md?page=6)